Markets

Target's (NYSE: TGT) share price performance for the year dipped below that of the broader stock market in recent weeks, suggesting investors were taking a "show me" approach to the retailer's business. Management issued an aggressive outlook back in March that predicted market-share wins across its digital and physical selling channels, as well as profitability improvements. That would be a high bar for any company to clear, and most analysts who follow the stock were more cautious in their expectations for its sales and earnings growth. Yet in its fiscal first-quarter report this week, the retailer revealed it had made solid progress toward all of its key growth objectives. Together, these wins imply Target is having no trouble standing out in a competitive sales landscape. Continue Reading Below Let's take a closer look. 1. The growth momentum continued. The key growth question was whether Target could maintain its momentum after setting a new record for sales gains in its fiscal … [Read more...] about 3 Key Takeaways from Target’s Fiscal First-Quarter Report

The residential solar industry should be one of the most appealing segments of the market with solar now cost-effective in states across the country and solar panel costs coming down year after year. But the industry has had a hard time organically attracting customers, relying primarily on archaic sales methods like door-to-door salespeople, telemarketing, and retail pop-ups. Even as the industry learns what works and what doesn't, the cost to attract incrementally more customers is increasing. The low-hanging fruit has been picked and now the industry leader, Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN), is spending more and more to keep the growth story alive. Continue Reading Below The rising cost of residential solar The table below shows the cost problem over the last year and a half. After sales and marketing costs fell from $0.72 per watt in 2016 to $0.52 per watt in 2017, the cost of sales started to explode. The $0.78 per watt in sales and marketing costs in the first quarter of 2019 are a level … [Read more...] about Sunrun’s Big Cost Problem

In case you haven't noticed, marijuana has become a mainstream issue. Long considered a topic that politicians would sweep under the rug due to its taboo nature, cannabis has stepped into the spotlight following Canada's legalization of recreational pot and the fact that 33 U.S. states have legalized medical marijuana (10 of which also allow adult-use consumption). This push into the mainstream has also been fueled by the American public's budding support for weed. In October, national pollster Gallup found that an all-time record 66% of respondents favored the idea of broad-based legalization. Needless to say, cannabis is expected to be one of a handful of hot-button topics in the 2020 elections. Continue Reading Below Joe Biden's past fuels a media-based cannabis scare A good number of Democrats who've announced their candidacy for the presidency have seized this opportunity by proclaiming their support for federal change. As a reminder, marijuana is a Schedule I substance, … [Read more...] about Joe Biden Does an About-Face on Marijuana

This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. By Salvatore Bruno via Iris.xyz Small cap stocks, as represented by the Russell 2000, have lagged large caps so far this year and remain well below the record level set last August, even as the S&P 500 and the Dow reached new highs. But conditions may be falling into place that will allow small caps [...] Continue Reading Below Read more at ETFTrends.com > … [Read more...] about Building the Case for Small Caps

This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. By Robert Ross via Iris.xyz The US v. China trade war is heating up. Until recently, the nations appeared to be making progress. That was until President Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports from 10% to 25%. The news sent the S&P 500 down 3% in the next two trading days. But [...] Continue Reading Below Read more at ETFTrends.com > … [Read more...] about Trump’s Trade War Is Good for These 3 Dividend Stocks